Governors

Our Governors

Newnham Primary School and Welton CE Academy are governed by a Joint Academy Scrutiny Committee.

Our governors on the Joint ASC are:

• Solomon Johnson
  Headteacher
  Solomon Johnson

• John Edwards
  DRET Appointed Governor (Chair)
  John Edwards

  John is currently serving his second term of office as a DRET Appointed Governor, originally appointed 24 October 2017. He lives locally, in Welton, and is now retired after having a full career spent working in Education. After 20 years in teaching he worked for the National Strategies, carried out Ofsted inspections and worked for local authorities. John is also qualified as a School Improvement Partner. His main substantive role was nearly ten years in two Local Authorities as Assistant Director for Children's Services and in charge of Education. John passions and interests include his family, the crucial role of education for all children, following West Ham United, and also playing table tennis and golf.

• Helen Afford
  DRET Appointed Governor (Vice Chair)
  Helen Afford

  My daughter has been at Welton CE Academy since September 2017. I believe that it is a great school that I would love to continue to do well. It is also important to me as a resident of Welton. As set out below, I believe that I have a good amount of skills and experience to bring to the role. I am also looking forward to learning a lot from the role and it will give me broader experience that I will also benefit from. I am a lawyer by background with over 20 years' post qualification experience, mainly in industry. I am currently a Divisional General Counsel and sit on the Divisional Executive Committee of a FTSE 100 international engineering group. In my role as an Executive Committee member I provide challenge and support to help determine and drive the strategy for the Division. My training as a lawyer helps me to ask questions to seek to understand or to bring a different way of thinking to the table and also means that I am able to analyse data and information well. I am also used to conducting investigations and managing risk and understand the importance of good governance. I am passionate about the importance of Inclusion & Diversity and had the opportunity to lead a working group in this area in my own organisation for three years from September 2019.

• Allison Daffern
  DRET Appointed Governor
  Allison Daffern

  Allison was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on 14 February 2020. She believes being a governor plays an important role and as a resident in Daventry she wanted to give something back to the community. Allison has the link governor responsibility for EYFS. She works for TDL Genetics as the postnatal Manager of the constitutional cytogenetics Lab, which has given her a good grounding in management. As a Clinical scientist, she oversees training and development of staff, has experience of communicating with a broad range of people and is heavily involved in the regular ISO inspections providing accreditation for the lab. Allison is passionate about science, as reflected in her choice of career. She also cares about the local community and has helped run the parent toddlers group at the village hall for the last five years.

• Laura Clark
  DRET Appointed Governor
  Laura Clark

  I am always keen to be involved where I can, using my experience and skills in Early Years, and learning new skills. I am co chair for the Friends of Welton (pta) organising fun fundraising events for the school. I have been a chair person and committee member for two different Pre schools in the past that our children have attended, supporting them with my knowledge and skills in Early Years when/where needed. I continue to do this on a voluntary basis, for any local setting that requests it, to help them reach their full potential. I am an Ofsted Registered Childminder, graded Outstanding in 2015 and again in 2020. I have worked in Early Years for over 22 years.

• Lawrence Mudarikwa
  DRET Appointed Governor
  Lawrence Mudarikwa

  Lawrence works as an Engineer in a high-tech engineering company and chose to become a governor to give back to my local community. Lawrence is particularly passionate about education and has previously been involved in various science education outreach programmes.

  Outside of work, Lawrence has a passion for technology and computing. In his spare time, Lawrence builds computers and likes to keep up to date with all the latest advances in technology.

• Nathalie Keddie
  DRET Appointed Governor
  Nathalie Keddie

  As she values education and the important role it plays in developing young people, and as she wanted to give back to her community, Nathalie joined Newnham and Welton's ASC in June 2024.

  Nathalie is a currently a sub-unit commander of a communications squadron in the British Army where she leads around 120 people of diverse backgrounds.

  Outside of work, Nathalie is passionate about travel and sport (particularly running, orienteering and skiing) when time allows. Having spent the last 5 years renovating her property Nathalie also has an interest in gardening and DIY.

• Louise Foster
  Parent Governor
  Louise Foster

• Peter Clarke
  Parent Governor
  Peter Clarke

  Pete joined the Joint ASC as a Parent Governor in August 2023. He has two children and wanted to become a governor to support the academies in achieving the best possible outcomes for all pupils. Pete is a Supply Chain Manager and is very good with dealing with multiple tasks at the same time. He previously was a Plant Quality Manager which involved carrying out quality assurance work. In his spare time, Pete enjoys family days out and watching the rugby with friends.

• Teresa Elkin
  Clerk
  Teresa Elkin

  Teresa Elkin has been clerking academies within the Trust since 2014. As a former Chair of an Outstanding primary school and part of the governance teams at Northamptonshire County Council and the David Ross Education Trust, she decided to become an independent clerk to support governing bodies. Teresa also supports other maintained schools and academies in the county. Teresas initial career was in advertising and marketing but a move into education, governance in particular ensured that she had a wide range of skills to bring to governing bodies. Teresa is an experienced governor and Chair, a governor trainer and mentor to individual governors and Chairs. Her passions and interests are the Theatre, literature and international travel.

Current Governors 

 Former Governors 

Contacting Us

The Governance Officer for Newnham Primary School is Victoria Linthwaite. Victoria can be reached at governance@dret.co.uk. 

To contact a governor, please contact the Trust Governance Team by emailing governance@dret.co.uk.

If you are looking to contact a Governor to make a complaint or share a concern, please note that as per our Complaints Policy, governors do not investigate complaints at Stage 1 or Stage 2.  This enables them to be impartial should a complaint be escalated to a Stage 3 governor panel. If you wish to make a complaint, please complete this form and your complaint will be investigated accordingly.

Scheme of Delegation

Information about the David Ross Education Trust’s scheme of delegation is available here.

Minutes of the Academy Scrutiny Committee

Should you wish to view a copy of the minutes of the ASC at this academy, please contact the Trust Governance Team (governance@dret.co.uk), who will be able to provide you with an electronic or paper copy of the minutes.

Are you interested in becoming an academy governor?

We are looking for new governors to support our academies. Our governors work closely with their academies to support the Trust’s goal of broadening the horizons of young people through a world-class education, equipping our students with the skills and experiences to become their confident, academic best, no matter what.

If you have an interest in, and commitment to, improving education and would like to make a difference within your community, please register your interest in becoming a governor by completing our governor application form. If you have any questions about a governor’s role or responsibilities please contact us at governance@dret.co.uk or review our information pack below. 

march 2024 governor recruitment booklet.pdf

What is it like being a Governor with DRET?

To understand what it is like to be a governor with us, take a look at our testimonial booklet and videos which contain insights from serving governors.

governor testimonial booklet .pdf

 Emma Bennett 

Angela Watts 

Stephen Platten 

Garry Allen

What training do Governors receive? 

We offer an extensive range of training opportunities. Take a look at what is on offer for the current academic year.